Product Description: On December 11, 1966, a mysterious assassin shot Henry Stockton to death, set his house on fire, and left the scene without a trace. A year later, when a woman was found brutally killed, shreds of evidence suggested a connection between the two murders.
In the Palliko-Stockton trial, prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi offered a brilliant summation that synthesized for the jury the many inferences and shades of meaning in the testimony, fitting all the pieces together in a mosaic of guilt. But will the jury be persuaded?
find-marry-insure-kill ^ Meet Paul S. Perveler and Kristina Cromwell. Meet Cheryl Perveler, Marlin Cromwell & Lela Halverson.
There is NO Alan Palliko and no Sandra Stockton. The names were changed because of legal reasons.
Sweet, lovely,charming Cheryl Perveler 22yrs old is brutally murdered. She had just recently married Paul Perveler.
Cheryl is not the only wife Paul tried to kill. Poor Lela. He also tried to kill his dad-not for insurance but because he hated him. Great guy!
In 1969 charges of -- 2cts 1st degree murder and 1 ct att. murder sent Paul Perveler to prison. He is still in prison today.
Kristina (Paul's girlfriend) went to prison for a short time but was re-united with her son. (She had Paul kill her sons dad--Marlin).
This is a VERY GOOD true crime book. Well written and holds your attention from beginning to end. There were no photos. A keeper and a re-read.
Perveler's hunt for the right woman to marry, insure & kill is fascinating and sad. He is a very bad man.
Marriage Can Be Bad For Your Health ^ This book has been my travel companion for the past 3 weeks and has been a relatively hard read inspite of being categorized as TRUE CRIME. While I consider Mr. Bugliosi a skilled writer and have enjoyed his other books, the facts in this case(two people are either murdered by their adulterous mates or by proxy via a hit) wasn't the source of my problem with this account. Mr. Bugliosi shows respect for his reader by explaining the fine points of the law which in turn provides the foundation for his prosecution strategy. I may have spent more time than necessary reviewing the facts and the problems inherent in trying a mostly circumstantial case against two defendees. What this book left me with was a true appreciation for just how difficult it is to defend or prosecute a criminal case with little physical evidence.] As for the case itself, it was fairly easy to get involved in this story. The protagonist (a slimer named Alan Palliko who might be described as any woman's worst nightmare) was one fascinating psycho. His one-time girl friend Sandra Stockton sounded like a maleable bimbo who viewed murder as a quick ticket out of frowsiness and mediocrity. I'd have to liken it to DOUBLE INDEMNITY times two. My only real gripe with this book was the total lack of pictures. While Bugliosi provided excellent descriptions of these folks, I really wanted to know how accurate his descriptions were.\ I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a good thoughtful read.
True Crime by the best true crime writer ^ Vince Bugliosi is the best attorney and true crime writer. This is a must read for anyone who likes true crime. It's an amazing story in that only a genious could have won this case. It's fascinating, a real page turner. You won't be disappointed. Also you'll be hooked on Vince's books. He also writes political commentary that is well worth reading.
As with all Bug's books, compelling and sometimes too windy ^ I purchased this book at a used book store for $1 based on the previous reviews I had read here about "Till Death." For one, you can't be disappointed by Bugliosi's writing style. Very good, to the point, a bit of mystery regarding the first half of the story. The story surrounds the mysterious events of a murdered husband (for about $15,000 insurance money in 1966) and concludes with another mysterious murder of a woman one year later.
This book was written circa 1978, so the murders for (so little) money seem to be a bit tame by today's standards. But, Vincent does put a great spin on the events. You find yourself drawn to the book until the two perpetrators are placed in jail prior to their trail.
It's only at this point of the book that the reading slows down. Bugliosi gets on his high horse about the law, so much so that it becomes a bit of a bore. And, there is too much about word-for-word transcripts reproduced here that slow down the narrative. We know Vince is good but he doesn't need to remind us.
Since I read this book in 2009, it would be nice to have an update on the characters fate since 1978 when the book was published. The title of the book didn't seem to fit the story line. I figured "Till Death" would be about two lovers forever intertwined with one another who committed these murders out of love, etc etc, but this really wasn't the case.
Nevertheless, a good book...not GREAT, but good.
American Judicial Hero ^ Unfortunately, the term "ethical attorney" is merely, these days, little better than an oxymoronic joke. Yet, Vince Bugliosi, the seemingly sole exception to this pseudo-rule, once again, demonstrates his absolute respect for--and his determination to-- uphold the Constitution of this country in regard to all those he has either defended or prosecuted. His books should be on the 'required reading' list of all instructors in charge of training the next generation of lawyers.
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